The present invention relates generally to an improved apparatus for wrapping ice cream sandwiches. Machines for continuously and automatically producing and wrapping ice cream sandwiches are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,664 addresses the shortcomings of known ice cream sandwich machines. Therefore, the entire disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,664 is incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,664 teaches an ice cream sandwich machine having an elevator, a conveyor, and a shoe. The elevator includes a platform having a supporting surface for supporting an ice cream sandwich. The elevator raises the ice cream sandwich to a wrapping position at which a wrap extends over the top of and is draped along the sides of the ice cream sandwich. The conveyor is positioned adjacent to the platform and includes a conveyor surface substantially coplanar with the supporting surface such that the ice cream sandwich can be pushed from the supporting surface to the conveyor surface. The conveyor surface includes at least one recessed section which is open at an end adjacent to the platform. The shoe of U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,664 is movable in a direction toward and into abutment with the ice cream sandwich when the ice cream sandwich is on the supporting surface of the elevator. The shoe includes a rear tucker for wrapping a rear bottom tuck panel of the wrap about the ice cream sandwich as the shoe travels in the direction toward the ice cream sandwich. The shoe also includes a pusher which is fixedly connected with the rear tucker for pushing the ice cream sandwich from the supporting surface onto the conveyor surface during continued movement in the direction toward and into abutment with the ice cream sandwich. As the pusher pushes the ice cream sandwich onto the conveyor surface, the rear tucker extends into the at least one recessed section. In this manner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,664 uses a single movement and a single shoe for both wrapping the ice cream sandwich and pushing the ice cream sandwich onto the conveyor.
Similar to known ice cream sandwich wrapping machines such as the one taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,664, it is an object of the present invention to use a single, simple movement of a shoe to wrap a rear bottom tuck panel underneath an ice cream sandwich and to push the ice cream sandwich onto a conveyor surface. However, unlike U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,664 and all other known ice cream sandwich wrapping machines, it is an object of the present invention to have friction members actively engage the ice cream sandwich while the shoe withdraws after pushing the ice cream sandwich onto the conveyor surface. It is still another object of the present invention to simplify the design and movement of the shoe. Finally, it is yet another object of the present invention to eliminate the recessed sections on the conveyor surface.